I am with you Andy in the case of the help system.
But meybe we are talking about different things. Every package has some
corner problems always, this kind of feature that no one knows way never
looks enough good.
In XSI for example for many many years the effects tools have been really
poor, in LightWave for example character animation has been really bad, in
Houdini the help has been ....
Well looking back some years ago I have to say that the help system have
been improved a lot, and is not perfect at all, but much much better.
the good thing is that SESI have been doing efforts to open the software,
improving the help, and it shows that they are really concern about it.
I can say many problems in other tools, that have been there for years, and
the company have done almost nothing in years ....
In the other hand is the day by day support, and in this area I now that
Softimage is quite good, I don't know if SESI is better or not, but I can
only say that I have worked in studios with only one license of Houdini and
I have get a daily build in one day solving an important bug. I don't know
if Softimage do this kind o things, but there aren't so much companies in
the softwarare bussiness out there that do this.
And as fas as I know this is one of the reason cos many studios love to work
with Houdini.
2008/10/24 Andy Nicholas <andy at andynicholas.com>
> No, at least, not for me anyway. It's more about the way it doesn't work
> (try expanding the contents tab for example), how it'll crash or hang
> Houdini, how links are missing, how some pages are inaccessible, etc.
> Anyway, I'm not going to mention it again, I'm sure I've bored enough
> people with this already! ;-)
>>> > Is all this regarding the help issues related with Python? Is it because
> > they're assuming proper Python libraries on all machines?
> >
> > Personally if they could release the help with everything included to
> > make sure it works I wouldn't mind to have a bigger download file. Or
> > the doc could be a separate download only for those who wish to update
> it.
> >
> > I'm thinking out loud, I'm not a Python specialist and I don't know how
> > the help is implemented.
> >
> > François
> >> Fair enough about the help docs problem, as there has always been some
> >> sort of problem with the help since houdini 9 came about. I can see what
> >> your saying.. but in regards to other apps support and mentality houdini
> >> is way ahead of them.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >>
> >>
> >>> Date: Fri, 24 Oct 2008 10:20:51 +0100> From: andy at andynicholas.com>
> To:
> >>> sidefx-houdini-list at sidefx.com> Subject: Re: [Sidefx-houdini-list]
> >>> Autodesk bought Softimage> > > Houdini is designed with a "user needs"
> >>> point of view whereas the other> > looks to me now as a shareholder
> >>> profit pov.> > Hmm, I can't agree with that. As someone who's used XSI
> >>> for quite a few> years, I've got to say that the support offered by
> >>> Softimage has always> been second to none. They've always been
> >>> extremely focussed on providing> amazing new features for the artists
> >>> to exploit (just look at ICE - that> came about because everyone was
> >>> always complaining that the particle> system sucked).> > In contrast,
> >>> I've been whining about the Houdini help system for at least> a year
> >>> now, and I've not seen an improvement. Don't get me wrong, I think>
> >>> Houdini's great, but I just think you're slightly overstating your
> >>> case.> > You're right though, Houdini has got a great niche at the
> >>> moment in terms> of what you can do in it. Lets hope it leads them on
> >>> to bigger and better> things.> > Andy> > > > > As long as SESI will
> >>> stay independent and a private company, I'm not> > worried. Every day,
> >>> Houdini shows me different ways to do things that> > would be a lot
> >>> harder to do with either XSI or Maya.> >> > Even if XSI is going toward
> >>> something that looks like Houdini, it's> > still many years behind.> >>
> >>> > Houdini is designed with a "user needs" point of view whereas the
> >>> other> > looks to me now as a shareholder profit pov. That will always
> >>> make a> > difference in the end and many people appreciate that.> >> >
> >>> FranÃ§ois> >> > P.S.: Hey SESI, if Autodesk knocks at your door to
> >>> propose something,> > please tell them you prefer to sell the company
> >>> to the Houdini> > community. I'd better put my money in a company I
> >>> believe instead of> > crazy volatile stock shares ;)> >> >> >> > Ihab
> >>> Abdel Razek wrote:> >> Now the thought that sends shivers up my
> >>> spine..... Will Houdini be> >> next?> >>> >>> >>> >> On Oct 24, 2008,
> >>> at 2:53 AM, "Pablo GimÃ(c)nez" <pablogipi at gmail.com>> >> wrote:> >>> >>>
> >>> >>> Hopefully the God of 3D will hear you Peter ....> >>>> >>>
> >>> 2008/10/24 Peter Bowmar <pbowmar at gmail.com>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Well I
> >>> remember lots of speculation when Autodesk bought Maya (end of> >>>>
> >>> Houdini!) and then Autodesk bought 3DS (end of Houdini!) and now XSI,>
> >>> >>>> yet Houdini is still here and the user base is growing!> >>>>>
> >>> >>>> Remember that Soft had problems getting XSI out to market and
> >>> handed> >>>> the whole market to Alias (at the time) and that could
> >>> well happen> >>>> here if their next-gen app takes forever to come
> >>> out.> >>>>> >>>> Personally, to me, it means very little other than
> >>> some sadness for> >>>> the Softimage employees that will be laid off,
> >>> not the programmers,> >>>> but lots of others.> >>>>> >>>> A lot of FX
> >>> companies are afraid of behemoth monopolies and I bet> >>>> will> >>>>
> >>> invest in Houdini (since there is nothing else!) as safety as well.>
> >>> >>>>> >>>> Cheers,> >>>>> >>>> Peter B> >>>>> >>>> 2008/10/23 Pablo
> >>> GimÃ(c)nez <pablogipi at gmail.com>:> >>>>> >>>>> Sad but truth.> >>>>> I
> >>> think that the thing that autodesk is going to sell is a complete>
> >>> >>>>>> >>>> pipeline> >>>>> >>>>> of tools that work well together and
> >>> then say to studios ok you> >>>>> can save> >>>>> money because is easy
> >>> to find artists for our tools we own the whole> >>>>> pipeline so our
> >>> tools talk together perfectly.> >>>>> So I think that SESI will ensure
> >>> for the future a perfecto> >>>>> connectivity> >>>>>> >>>> with> >>>>>
> >>> >>>>> Autodesk tools and then learn to coexist cos the 3D big brother
> >>> is> >>>>> there> >>>>>> >>>> and> >>>>> >>>>> you can't beat him but
> >>> you can try to live with him.> >>>>> Anyway for Houdini is a challenge
> >>> because now you have to justify> >>>>> the> >>>>> investement in the
> >>> tool with more arguments:> >>>>> - How are you going to deal with the
> >>> interconectivity (that means> >>>>> that> >>>>>> >>>> the> >>>>> >>>>>
> >>> support for FBX should be as good as possible for example to be> >>>>>
> >>> able to> >>>>> coexist)> >>>>> - How are you gong to growth you user
> >>> base? Now autodesk owns al the> >>>>>> >>>> tools> >>>>> >>>>> that 99%
> >>> of the schools/universities taugh, definitely a challenge> >>>>> for>
> >>> >>>>>> >>>> the> >>>>> >>>>> future.> >>>>>> >>>>> Long life houdiniks
> >>> .....> >>>>>> >>>>> 2008/10/23 James Rutherford
> >>> <JRutherford at stclaircollege.ca>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> Yikes> >>>>>> I
> >>> wonder if this is good or bad for Houdini...> >>>>>>
> >>> _______________________________________________> >>>>>>
> >>> Sidefx-houdini-list mailing list> >>>>>>
> >>> Sidefx-houdini-list at sidefx.com> >>>>>>
> >>> https://lists.sidefx.com:443/mailman/listinfo/sidefx-houdini-list>
> >>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> --> >>>>> Un saludo> >>>>> Best Regards>
> >>> >>>>> Pablo GimÃ(c)nez> >>>>>
> >>> _______________________________________________> >>>>>
> >>> Sidefx-houdini-list mailing list> >>>>> Sidefx-houdini-list at sidefx.com> >
> >>> >>>>>
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> >>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> --> >>> Un saludo> >>> Best Regards> >>> Pablo
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--
Un saludo
Best Regards
Pablo Giménez